Jatjuk (Pine Nut Porridge)
Made with finely ground rice and pine nuts, jatjuk (잣죽) is a nutritious porridge that's creamy, delicately nutty, and comforting!
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 cup short grain rice
- 1 cup pine nuts (more for optional garnish) You can use 1/2 or 2/3 cup if you like.
- 3 cups water
- salt
- 1 daechu (대추, jujube) - optional garnish
Instructions
- Rinse the rice, soak for an hour or longer, and drain.
- Rinse the pine nuts under cold water. Toast them in a dry pan over medium low heat, shaking the pan often, for 3 to 4 minutes for a light toasting. Don't brown them. You can skip this process if you like.
- In a blender, blend the soaked rice and pine nuts with 2 cups of water until it turns like milky liquid, about 30 seconds. It can be longer, depending on the blender.
- Pour the rice and pine nut water into a pot. Use the remaining 1 cup of water to to swish out the remaining rice and pine nut sediments and add to the pot.
- Turn the heat to medium. Stir gently but frequently along the bottom of the pot for about 6 minutes. The mixture will clump and thicken significantly.
- Reduce the heat to medium low. Let it simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes or longer. The clumps will gradually break apart, and the porridge will develop a smooth, thick texture, eventually becoming thinner with a nice, flowy consistency. Don’t cut down the cooking time. Wait until the last 3 or 4 minutes to add more water to thin the porridge, if needed.
- You can salt at the last minute if you’re serving the entire pot. Otherwise, serve salt on the side so the diner(s) can add at the table.
Notes
Storing and reheating: Jatjuk can be kept in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. It also freezes well for a longer storage. You can reheat it on the stovetop or in the microwave. Reheat it until it's hot, but don't let it boil. It can make the porridge runny.